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*”Finsbury Circus” EC2 – the City of London’s oldest & largest public park

Posted on September 24, 2020 by Geoff Clements Posted in Parks & Public Squares, Streets .

Throughout its 3.5yrs existence, there have been a number of instances where ‘London Shoes’ has (totally unintentionally) just happened to be in the right place at the right time – when something unusual, newsworthy or historically interesting has happened.

Such an occasion happened last week, when ‘Shoes’ visited a long standing and notable London landmark that had been shut-down for the past decade, and had only just re-opened a few days before London Shoes visit.

So – the subject matter for this week’s blog is “Finsbury Circus” – the oldest and largest public park in the City of London’s ‘Square Mile’!!!

Now – the name ‘Circus’ has absolutely nothing to do with dancing elephants, trapeze artists or clowns driving exploding cars – the term derives from Latin origins and quite simply means an ‘elliptical’ shape or space.

Not to be confused with Finsbury Square or Finsbury Park, which are located further north – Finsbury Circus is located in the Moorgate district of the City, right next to Moorgate station and just a couple of minutes’ walk from the Liverpool Street station main-line terminal.

Historic records show that as far back as the early 1500’s when some parts of the city was partly rural – there was a plot of land known as ‘Finsbury Manor’ on the site of today’s Finsbury Circus site.

In 1600 the area was raised and planted with trees becoming a public park, the first in London, in 1606.

In 1812 the park became enclosed and in 1815, popular landscaper Charles Dance (the Younger) was commissioned to redesign the park – and he introduced many differing varieties of plants, trees and flowers, and even a circuit of lime trees.

Massive magnificently designed majestic houses encircled Finsbury Circus – occupied by wealthy merchants, solicitors and other well to do, and well-off professional people – plus establishments such as university offices, exclusive schools and societies – and Finsbury Circus became the private gardens for these wealthy residents.

By the mid 1800’s when the rail network really started to develop – Finsbury Circus was threatened with demolition so that a brand new railway station could be built on its site. A huge public outcry ensued, protesting against such an action – and the proposal for a new station was eventually dropped.

However in 1869 a large tunnel was dug underneath Finsbury Circus which linked up to the Metropolitan Railway that ran through the City.

In the early 1900’s Finsbury Circus was compulsory purchased by the City of London Corporation, and returned again to being a public park – a decision that didn’t go down at all well with the wealthy residents encircling the ‘Circus’ as they felt that their house prices would drop considerably with riff-raff loitering around in the gardens.

The person assigned with transforming Finsbury Circus back into a public park area, was the renowned architect ‘Alpheus Morton’ – and for quite a while after, the park was known briefly as “Morton’s Park”.

Throughout the decades of the 1900’s Finsbury Circus became a very popular recreation area for city workers to have their lunch in the fresh air or linger around in the evenings after work, before setting off back home to the ‘burbs’. Throughout those decades the ‘Circus’ acquired a lawn bowls green – a badminton court & a basketball court.

Another claim-to-fame unique to the history of Finsbury Circus – is that since 1957, it has been the ‘finishing point’ of the annual “Miglia Quadrato” motor event – a very strange event to hold in the middle of one of the world’s busiest City’s.

The annual ‘Miglia Quadrato’ motor event start at the time of the Suez Crisis when fuel was very short in supply, and to keep spirits high, it was decided to hold some sort of motoring event with a difference, in the City of London.

The event comprises of teams of 6 (very convenient for the current Covid19 rules at the time of this blog) – and these teams have to drive around the City  in all sorts of vehicles, for 5 hours trying to find the answers to 60 clues – 20 difficult – 20 medium – 20 easy, all within a 5 mins per clue timescale challenge – and the finishing point has always been Finsbury Square.

However, in 2010 the unique splendor, peace & tranquillity and popularity of Finsbury Circus ended abruptly, when it was completely closed to the public.

The park area was completely dug up and a 42 foot deep shaft excavated as part of the massive ‘Crossrail’ project – the new rail network that will link all of London’s mainline terminal stations, plus other most used stations (tube & overground) so that you can travel from the east, right through to London Heathrow Airport.

Finsbury Circus remained closed for the next decade, as the Crossrail excavation and engineering teams completely took over the area, and carved up the entire park area, to dig out tunnels along with new and additional station platforms, in the subterranean world underneath the Finsbury Circus site.

Crossrail was supposed to be up and running and fully operational in 2018 – however, unsurprisingly, that hasn’t happened as the Crossrail project has gone way over budget and many deadlines have been missed – and the latest completion date has been put back to 2021.

However – after an absence of 10 long years, and following a massive clear-up operation by Crossrail engineers – good old Finsbury Circus re-opened again to the public, just a few days before this London Shoes visit (I wasn’t aware of any of this until I got there).

Although the lawn bowling green, the basketball court, the badminton court and the colourful flower beds and other floral displays were all removed as part of the excavation work – a brand new lawn has been laid out, and I’m guessing that it won’t be too long before Finsbury Circus gets back to how it once looked.

The road encircling Finsbury Circus is still rammed with Crossrail related vehicles and engineering fixtures & fittings, but again, when Crossrail eventually opens – these ‘road residents’ will gradually become less and less – leaving Finsbury Circus to return to as it should be.

Although the park itself was full of rail and construction engineers when I was there, it was good to see some ‘office workers’ (those that weren’t ‘working from home’ obviously) mingled in with them, eating their lunch or simply enjoying a coffee in the ‘new normal’ fresh air.

So – having spent a couple of hours enjoying the newly re-opened Finsbury Circus – whilst I was in the City’s ‘Square Mile’ I thought I would take a short stroll across town to track down the site where once stood ‘St. Swithins House’ a building just across the road from the Bank of England, – a place where I worked for a few years when I left the Barclays Bank branch network in 2001 after a 30 year stint – and joined a head-office team.

St. Swithins House was an old building even then, and it used to be the main Barclays ‘Clearing House’ where all the transactions of cheques & credits that had taken place in Barclays branches, went off to every night to be ‘processed’ through the Bank’s ‘clearing systems’.

At the time I arrived at St. Swithins House in 2001, the mechanics of ‘clearing’ transactions was changing fast. The building itself was from another era and commercially was probably on its last legs and wasn’t really fit-for-purpose in the ‘modern’ world.

Upon starting my new head-office role at St. Swithins House, where I was working totally on my own – I was given a desk in what was no more than a broom cupboard situated in a darkened basement with no natural light – and was given a lap-top (had never ‘worked’ one in my life before) and a business mobile phone, and told to get on with it. To say I felt like a fish out of water is an understatement – but it was the only way to learn and very soon I enjoyed every minute of it.

I knew that the old St. Swithins House had been pulled down long ago, but I didn’t know that the whole of its old site and the buildings that had surrounded it, had also been completely regenerated – the old lane looked nothing like it did when I worked there in the early ‘noughties’ – There now stands a massive modern office complex on the old St. Swithins House, and the surrounding area was nothing like it used to be – but I was pleased that I took time out to track it down.

I then headed off to Liverpool Street Station to catch a train back home, and again, like the rest of the London I’ve witnessed every week over the past month or so – it was a bit surreal to see a usually manically busy main line London inter-connected rail & tube station that on average sees in excess of 63 million passenger entrances & exits per year – looking so spookily quiet and underwhelmed. So, I took a seat on its main concourse and got stuck in to a tasty M&S chicken & bacon sarnie washed down with a bottle of fizzy pink stuff – before heading off back home following another interesting & enjoyable day out.

_______________________________________________________

See below the entire gallery of photos taken to support this blog

Old & more modern signage at the entrance to Finsbury Circus

 

Me – entering into the park area of Finsbury Circus – the oldest and largest public park in the City of London’s ‘Square Mile’!!!

 

Views from inside the recently re-opened Finsbury Circus – it had been closed to the public from 2010 to 2020 to enable essential Crossrail excavation and tunneling construction to be undertaken beneath its surfaces.

 

the oldest and largest public park in the City of London’s ‘Square Mile’!!!

 

Views from inside the recently re-opened Finsbury Circus

 

A photo of Finsbury Circus – as it was in 1993. The lawns, hedges and flower beds are all gone as a result of a decade of Crossrail engineering works – but I’m sure the floral delights etc will soon return now that the Circus has been re-opened to the public (images extracted from another source)

A photo from Finsbury Circus as it is today – taken from roughly the same position as the photo above

 

An aerial view of Finsbury Circus whilst the parkland was commandeered for a decade (2010-2020) by the Crossrail Project (image extracted from another source)

 

Views from inside the recently re-opened Finsbury Circus

 

Me – inside the recently re-opened Finsbury Circus

 

The new bandstand erected in the recently re-opened Finsbury Circus. Proposals have been put forward for ‘live’ music to be performed from the bandstand during the current Covid19 pandemic restrictions

 

The newly laid lawn inside Finsbury Circus – receiving one of its first ‘trims’

 

Views from inside the recently re-opened Finsbury Circus

 

Me – inside the recently re-opened Finsbury Circus

 

Views from inside the recently re-opened Finsbury Circus – new ‘corporate’ looks down upon ‘old’ corporate immediately outside the ‘Circus’

 

Me – inside the recently re-opened Finsbury Circus

 

The old original Finsbury Circus drinking fountain – which no doubt will be re-sited within the parkland very soon, now that the Circus has been re-opened to the public

 

One of the original Finsbury Circus park benches – still in situ

 

Views from inside the recently re-opened Finsbury Circus

 

One of the entrances to the Finsbury Circus park – traffic parking spaces are in demand, and are mostly taken up by Crossrail related vehicles

 

Me – amongst the magnificent architecture encircling Finsbury Circus

 

The magnificent architecture of Finsbury Circus

 

The magnificent architecture of Finsbury Circus

 

One of the many modern ‘Gum & Butts’ receptacles in Finsbury Circus

 

Me – alongside one of the entrances to the Finsbury Circus park

 

The magnificent architecture of Finsbury Circus

 

Throughout the entire decade of 2010 to 2020 – Finsbury Circus was closed to the public and was completely occupied by engineers working on the Crossrail Project. Although the park land of Finsbury Circus has now re-opened to the public, Crossrail workers are still very much a presence throughout the ‘Circus’, especially the parking spaces

 

Although the park land of Finsbury Circus has now re-opened to the public, the Crossrail Project still very much a presence throughout the ‘Circus’ wherever you turn.

 

A ‘Hackney’ destined bus – leaving Finsbury Circus

 

Me – outside the recently re-opened Finsbury Circus

 

Another claim-to-fame unique to the history of Finsbury Circus – is that since 1957, it has been the ‘finishing point’ of the annual “Miglia Quadrato” motor event – a very strange event to hold in the middle of one of the world’s busiest City’s. (image extracted from another source)

 

The annual ‘Miglia Quadrato’ motor event originally started in 1957 at the time of the Suez Crisis when fuel was very short in supply, and to keep spirits high, it was decided to hold some sort of motoring event with a difference, in the City of London. 6 teams have to drive around the City in all types of vehicles for 5 hours, trying to find the answers to 60 clues – 20 difficult – 20 medium – 20 easy, all within a 5 mins per clue timescale challenge – and the finishing point has always been Finsbury Circus. (images extracted from another source)

 

Leaving Finsbury Circus

 

A almost deserted Threadneedle Street/Cornhill/Mansion House Street/Lombard Street junction – as viewed on my walk from Finsbury Circus to St. Swithins Lane :-((

 

St. Swithins Lane – a narrow side street tucked away opposite the iconic Bank of England building

 

An old 1950’s photo of ‘St. Swithins House’ in St. Swithins Lane – where I worked for a few years when I left the Barclays Bank branch network in 2001 after a 30 year stint, and joined one of their head-office teams. (image gratefully extracted from another source)

 

The building that now occupies the site of what was once St. Swithins House, where I worked from 2001 until 2004

 

Me – outside the building that now occupies the site of what was once St. Swithins House, where I once worked in the early 2000’s

 

A spookily, almost deserted Liverpool Street Station concourse – on my journey back home from Finsbury Circus

 

Me – taking in some liquid refreshment on the concourse of Liverpool Street Station – on my way back home from visiting the recently reopened Finsbury Circus – just a 3min walk from this station

 

Me – swigging down some liquid refreshment on the concourse of Liverpool Street Station

 

Me – masked-up and socially distanced – on the train on my way home from the recently re-opened Finsbury Circus

 

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6 Comments
« *all about London’s magnificent “Albert Bridge”
* Beautiful “Green Park” – the smallest of London’s Royal Parks »

6 Responses

  1. Neal says
    September 25, 2020 at 8:28 am

    Well written entertaining article once again Geoff Clements

    Reply
  2. Paul says
    September 25, 2020 at 8:28 am

    Great stuff – Barclays London Northern LHO was at 2 Circus Place I seem to recall (late 1970s)

    Reply
  3. Bob says
    September 25, 2020 at 12:43 pm

    Spent many hours in Finsbury Circus when i worked for Barings Bank on London Wall, eating my overpriced sandwich, and cold tea..Great write up as always young man…

    Reply
  4. Tomas Gustavsson, Sweden says
    September 26, 2020 at 12:13 pm

    In these peculiar times when you can’t go to London from here in Sweden it’s great to follow your walks and well written articles. Thanks!

    Reply
  5. Peter Lemon says
    September 29, 2020 at 8:47 am

    Yet again another brilliant piece of reading. Thank you

    Reply
    • Geoff Clements says
      September 29, 2020 at 11:11 am

      Thank you Peter – glad you enjoyed it👍

      Reply

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